Coronavirus (COVID-19) Notice

We are still here to help you during the coronavirus crisis, however there are many changes.

In line with NHS Wales and Public Health Wales direction at the time of writing, Coach House Dental Care has implemented changes in order to help keep patients and staff safe. All routine treatment has had to stop, although we are still able to offer emergency treatment where necessary.

If you need our help, please telephone the practice in the first instance:

Tel: 01978 356328 between 9.00am – 5.00pm Mon-Fri.

At weekends call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

Patients will be offered an initial telephone triage conversation with either a dental nurse or dentist to help establish the nature of your emergency and whether it is necessary for you to visit the practice.

There may be occasions when the initial telephone triage by a nurse requires a further telephone triage by a dentist which will be at an appointed time. Patients are asked to be available to take the clinician’s call at the time offered and to expect the call possibly from a ‘withheld number’ which they should answer. The outcome of the call may involve simply advice on analgesia or the issue of a prescription. If a prescription is required, we will discuss with you the protocol for collection of the prescription or remote prescribing when we fax the prescription to the pharmacy for your collection.

The emergencies that would most likely require a visit to the practice are:-

• Severe dental pain which you have not been able to control with over-the-counter medication

• Swelling of the mouth or face

• Bleeding which you are not able to stop

• Trauma to your face or teeth

• An ulcer which has not healed after 2 weeks, even if it is not painful

If you have severe swelling out of surgery hours which is tracking towards your throat causing difficulty breathing or swallowing, or a swelling extending around the eye, please telephone 0845 4647 or attend your local Accident and Emergency department.

What can I expect if I attend the practice as an emergency patient?

In order to keep yourself and staff safe, we have implemented a “Contactless Visit” at the practice as far as is possible. This is so that you can still attend your dental appointments, but with peace of mind that all unnecessary points of contact have been removed.

At Coach House Dental Care the most important thing is patient safety and comfort, and that is why we have introduced the following measures to keep our patients and staff safe while at the practice.

• Please make your initial contact with the practice over the telephone as entry to the building can only follow-on from an initial triage or booked appointment, i.e. don’t walk into reception to arrange an appointment, call us first.

• Following triage, if a visit to the practice is necessary and you show no symptoms of COVID-19, we will go through all of the paperwork over the phone and sign it on your behalf. The paperwork would include a full medical history and list of medication plus things like informed consent documents if an extraction is required. We would also request payment of the relevant charge over the phone. This means that you will not have to touch a pen, paper, or any electronic device when you attend your appointment.

• Before you leave home, please use the toilet and wash hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. This measure is to minimise the number of surfaces you contact at the practice. If you have your own facemask please wear it to attend the practice and keep it on until you are in the dental chair. Replace the facemask to leave the surgery. If you do not have a facemask we can provide one when you arrive.

• In order to minimise the number of surfaces contacted, please leave belongings such as jackets, bags, and hats at home.

• Please enter the building alone unless you are a parent accompanying a child under 16 or an interpreter or carer.

• On arrival at the practice please wait in your car until the appointed time then come to the main entrance. Please enter the building alone unless you are a parent accompanying a child under 16 or an interpreter or carer.

• When you enter the practice please use the hand sanitiser and put on the mask we provide (if you do not have your own). We will take your temperature and lead you to the surgery.

• Our measures to prevent cross-infection at the practice meet all current standards for sterilisation of instruments and disinfection of surfaces. The processes are effective against all viruses and bacteria, including the new Coronavirus so nothing has needed changing. However, because of the way the virus spreads, you will notice some changes in the practice. Screens have been installed in reception and you will notice the reception staff wearing PPE plus dentist and nurse will be wearing different PPE to usual.

• After your appointment, you can pay with a contactless card transaction if you have not paid over the phone previously.

How are we preparing to come out of lockdown?

We are planning on a phased return to a small range of treatments from the start of July in accordance with the guidelines from NHS Wales.

When the lockdown was introduced in England and Scotland, dental practices were advised to have no face-to-face contact with patients. Here in Wales, the situation was different because we could still see patients for emergency treatment in certain circumstances, for example, the list mentioned earlier or if a prior treatment with analgesia or antibiotics is not working and the patient does not have COVID-19 symptoms. Because we have been seeing a small number of our patients we have already implemented changes in preparation for the release of lockdown.

Many of the ideas around a ‘’Contactless visit’’ described in the previous section will remain but we are actively exploring ways in which technology can help. We are arranging for the forms which need to be filled in to be sent to your mobile phone or email address with a link to enable you to complete the forms online at home before your appointment. This means that you will not have to touch a pen, paper, clipboard or any electronic device other than your own when you attend your appointment. In addition, we are planning that your mobile phone can be used to check-in upon arrival.

For patients who feel concerned about the increased use of technology, please do not worry. We will do what is suitable and accessible for you. These measures are just being considered to help reduce contact points throughout the practice.

We are planning our appointment book so that the practice and waiting areas are not overcrowded. We will do this by working a shift system for the surgeries and leaving suitable gaps between appointments. This will ensure that you can attend the practice while maintaining a suitable distance from one another in accordance with government guidelines. We ask that there be no more than two patients in reception at any one time, so please wait outside at an appropriate distance if reception appears busy.

We will also be creating clinics for patients who are most vulnerable, to help minimise contact with others at the practice. Video consultations for those who cannot come into the practice are also being arranged.

We look forward to seeing you again when we can return to a ‘new normal’ way of working.

If you have any further questions about these measures, or anything else prior to your appointment, please contact us.

There are some links printed below to website addresses of NHS Wales

Dental Information for patients is available online from: NHS 111- Wales Encyclopedia19

Toothache
Swelling of the face and mouth
Wisdom tooth problems
Problems after tooth extraction
Mouth ulcers
Dentures